Falcons vs. Giants Spread Firm at -3
As Gambling911.com noted earlier in the week, the Falcons vs. Giants spread was not expected to move and, indeed, it has not. The line remained at -3 in favor of New York.
Bet this game at Sportsbook.com and receive up to $250 in FREE CASH HERE. Mention Me, Carrie Stroup, when joining.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: New York -3 & 47.5
Opening Line & Total: Giants -3 & 47
Two teams that finished the season 3-1 square off at Met Life Stadium when the Giants host the Falcons in an NFC Wild Card game. Atlanta hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2004 season and New York hasn’t won a home game in the postseason since the 2000 NFC Championship.
The Giants already won one must-win game, and they’re looking to finally get some postseason momentum going at home. QB Eli Manning has been awful in two career home playoff starts (0 TD, 5 INT, 31.8 passer rating). The Giants failed to score a touchdown and were outscored a combined 46-11 in these defeats. But the New Jersey weather could be just as troublesome for the Falcons, which haven’t had to play in the elements all year (they haven’t played in a cold-weather city since early October). Both teams have excellent wide receivers, but Atlanta (115 rush YPG) has a decisive edge over New York (89 rush YPG, last in NFL) in the running game. Falcons RB Michael Turner, who has been battling a groin injury, finally looks healthy as he ran over Tampa Bay for 172 yards and two scores on just 17 carries (10.1 YPG) last week.
QB Matt Ryan has played poorly in his two postseason games (71.2 passer rating, 3 TD, 4 INT), both SU and ATS losses. But he has been on fire since the start of November, completing 62% of his passes for 2,494 yards (277 YPG), 20 TD and just 4 INT. He has been sacked just eight times in these nine games, but New York brings a fierce defensive line that has the majority of the team’s 48 sacks this season (T-3rd in NFL). Jason Pierre-Paul is the team’s top pass rusher with 16.5 sacks this year.
Both Falcons starting WRs Roddy White (1,296 rec yds, 8 TD) and rookie Julio Jones (959 rec yds, 8 TD) are capable of torching a suspect Giants pass defense allowing the fourth-most yards in the NFL (255 passing YPG). TE Tony Gonzalez (875 rec yds, 7 TD) has never won a playoff game in his Hall of Fame career (0-4 record) and was held to just one catch for seven yards in last year’s home loss to Green Bay. The G-Men have a below-average run defense that ranks 19th in the league (121 YPG), but Turner has done very little in his playoff career, rushing for 269 yards on 74 carries (3.6 YPC) and three touchdowns in six lifetime postseason games.
Manning’s passer rating was just 76.5 this December (7.98 YPA, 6 TD, 6 INT), but he had a tremendous season finale against Dallas, completing 24-of-33 passes for 346 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT. He has taken just 28 sacks this season, the seventh-fewest amount in the league. Manning has also been clutch in the fourth quarter, setting an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter TD passes and finishing second in the NFL in fourth-quarter passer rating (110.0). WR Victor Cruz continues to play as well as any wideout on the planet, catching six passes for 178 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown. He also had a 99-yard TD reception in Week 16, giving him an absurd 342 yards in his past two games. The other starting WR Hakeem Nicks, appears to be fully healed from his hamstring injury, catching five passes for 76 yards and a score against Dallas.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw is another of the walking wounded for New York, has he has battled a foot injury for the good part of this season. The elusive Bradshaw entered this season with a career 4.8 YPC average, but that has dropped to 3.9 YPC this year. Bruising RB Brandon Jacobs was held to 16 yards on seven carries against Dallas last week, but was averaging a whopping 5.6 YPC in his previous four games. Both backs will be certainly be tested by a strong Falcons run defense that ranks sixth in the NFL (97 YPG).
